Books by Gary Graybill

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Church Plan’s To Burn the Koran

Afghans burn an effigy of Dove World Center Outreach Pastor Terry Jones during a demonstration against the United States in Kabul

If there is one thing that really makes me mad at people it is blind religious fanaticism. America has been attacked by religious fanatics who use terrorism as means of spreading their hate while trying to justify their actions claiming is is somehow God's will. You would think that we would have learned how this kind of nonsense is just plain evil but, unfortunately, it seems some "good Christians" are determined to match the stupidity with their own brand of idiocy. There is a church in Florida that plans to burn the Koran on Sept. 11. I can not imagine the twisted logic that leads good Christian people to believe that the purposeful desecration of another religions holy book is in any way, shape, or form an appropriate or even a civilized act. Aside from the incredibly insensitive and provocative nature of an act like that, the cause and effects can be disastrous. General Petraeus has already said that it isn't doing the troops in Afghanistan any favors.

Already hundreds of Afghans protested Monday in Kabul over the decision by the Gainesville, Florida based Dove World Outreach Center to burn copies of what Muslims consider the word of God. Petraeus said he's concerned that the protests could spread across the country.

"It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort in Afghanistan. It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community," Petraeus said in a statement.

The Dove World Outreach Center has been denied a permit to hold a bonfire, but the Koran burning is still scheduled to proceed on Saturday. The burning -- set to mark nine years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks -- follows a campaign last year in which the church distributed T-shirts that said "Islam is of the Devil."

In a blog on the church's website, writer Fran Ingram offered the groups’ reasoning for burning the Koran, arguing that it is not God's word and denies Jesus is the son of God, that Islam is totalitarian and that the religion teaches idolatry, paganism, rites and rituals. "We are using this act to warn about the teaching and ideology of Islam, which we do hate as it is hateful. We do not hate any people, however. We love, as God loves, all the people in the world and we want them to come to a knowledge of the truth," the blog reads.This statement is so hypocritical it is almost oxymoronic!

Other writings by the same blogger include headlines like "Islam is Cursed by Cursing Israel" and "The Koran: A Sorcerer's Scroll."

This kind of extremist nonsense is just not acceptable! These people should be ashamed of themselves. How dare they insult the thousands of Muslims around the world that had nothing even remotely to do with those horrific attacks? How can they be so callous towards those people of the Islamic faith who are good, loyal Americans, many of whom have served in our Armed Forces and given their very lives for this country? How can they ignore our Constitution and 200 years of American tradition celebrating everyone’s right to worship as they choose? This action is not just in bad taste –it is evil and there is nothing even remotely Christian in it. These “good Christians” are putting the lives of our troops in extra danger and making the war on terrorism even harder and more dangerous.

If these people would like to do something to commemorate the 9/11 attacks, they should be finding a way to unify our people and celebrate our freedom and diversity. They should be spreading a message of friendship and tolerance. Burning a Koran does nothing but spread hate and show their intolerance. How do these people feel when they read stories of Christians being persecuted and the Bible being desecrated? Since when do two wrongs make a right? -Or does that logic not apply when actions are motivated by hate and a desire for revenge?

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a statement condemning the church's plans, saying Washington was "deeply concerned about deliberate attempts to offend members of religious or ethnic groups." But outside the U.S. Embassy, where as many as 500 protesters chanted "Long live Islam" and "Death to America," demonstrators argued that the church isn't acting of its own will. "We know this is not just the decision of a church. It is the decision of the president and the entire United States," said Abdul Shakoor, an 18-year-old high school student who said he joined the protest after hearing neighborhood gossip about the Koran burning.

We send our young men and women to Afghanistan and ask them t risk their lives to liberate the people from religious totalitarianism, telling them that we, Americans, love freedom and that we respect the basic rights of the individual. Then one of our church's takes it upon themselves to be just as insulting and insensitive as they can be towards the only religion these people have ever known! Instead of holding our a hand in friendship they give the terrorists more propaganda and more excuses to plant bombs and kill American soldiers.

Burning a Koran is considered by Muslims among the most offensive actions taken against Islam. In 2005, 15 people died and scores were wounded in riots in Afghanistan sparked by a story in Newsweek magazine alleging that interrogators at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay placed copies of the Koran in washrooms and had flushed one down the toilet to get inmates to talk. Newsweek later retracted the story.

If the burning of the Koran takes place in that little church in Florida the blood of good Americans will be needlessly spilled, while these "good Christians" go home and sleep peacefully in their beds. --When, oh when, will we ever learn?